The present invention relates generally to computer implemented methods for determining current interests of a person, and using such information for improved user productivity. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for automatic, real-time generation of a user interest profile from current user input communication data streams, and for automatically providing useful information to the user based on such data streams.
A widespread use of databases is to provide relevant information in response to user queries. Recently, the amount of available information has exploded, due primarily to the dramatic proliferation of the world wide web and the internet. The world wide web can be viewed as a very large information repository that offers a vast variety of general as well as special purpose search engines and information retrieval systems. Consequently, finding the right databases and the right way to query them is getting harder and harder. Moreover, finding relevant information on the world wide web will become even more challenging as the web continues to grow. Existing information retrieval systems, search engines, and xe2x80x9cpushedxe2x80x9d content providers are attempting to provide users with useful information related to their interests. These systems typically obtain hints on the user""s interests from various sources. The most elementary and straightforward approach is to simply ask the user to manually specify his or her interests, which are then stored in a user interest profile. This approach has the disadvantage that it requires the user to manually specify and update the profile. It is neither dynamic nor automatic. Another approach is to analyze the user""s click stream during web browsing sessions. In other words, the system monitors and records the hyperlinks (i.e., URLs) selected by the user. A similar approach is to introduce a proxy server between the user and the internet. The proxy server monitors the hyperlinks selected by the user during browsing sessions and derives interest profiles from the usage statistics. Although both these approaches are automatic and do not require the user to manually update his or her interest profile, selected hyperlinks are not strongly correlated with the user""s current interests. Consequently, automated database queries based on selected hyperlinks often return information that is of little relevance to the user""s actual interests. These approaches also have the disadvantage that they obtain information about the user""s interests only during web browsing sessions.
The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages by providing a new system for automatically bringing information to users. The system does not require users to manually specify their interests, nor does it derive user interests from selected hyperlinks during web browsing sessions. Instead, the system learns a user""s interests by monitoring the user""s outbound communication streams, i.e., the information that the user produces either by typing (e.g., while a user is composing an e-mail message or editing a word processor document) or by speaking (e.g., while a user is engaged in a phone conversation or listening to a lecture). In contrast with prior systems which monitor selected hyperlinks during web browsing sessions, the system of the present invention monitors text generated by the user while typing or speaking, regardless of whether or not the user is currently browsing the web. The typing or speaking is performed by the user while editing or composing text within an application program having text editing functionality. The system then uses the monitored text to build (and possibly update) a user interest profile. The profile is constructed from current text generated by the user, so that the retrieved information reflects present user interests. In addition, the profile may also retain past user interests, so that the profile reflects a combination of past and present user interests. The system then automatically queries diverse databases for information relevant to the interest profile. The databases may include internet web pages, files stored on the user""s local network, and other local or remote data repositories. The queries may use a combination of internet search engines, the specific selection of which may depend upon the nature and/or content of the queries. The information retrieved in response to the queries is then presented to the user. The retrieved information may contain, for example, answers to questions that the user might ask and/or data related to the user""s current and continuing interests. Because a user""s current speech or typed text is highly correlated with the user""s current interests, the retrieved information will be relevant to the user""s actual interests. The communication stream monitoring, interest profile building, data base querying, and presentation of retrieved information are all performed automatically, in real time, and in the background of current user activities. The present system, therefore, provides a system for automatic, real-time generation of a user interest profile from current user speech and/or text data streams, and for automatically presenting useful information to the user based on current user data streams. Because the system is automatic, real time, and provides information relevant to the user""s current interests, it provides increased convenience and productivity to the user. These and other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawing figures.